I started playing Wanderstop and it is a cute and charming and cozy game about recovering from burnout and finding joy in a slower life and once I finished the initial tutorial I put down the Steam Deck and made a smoothie out of some greens, spices, oatmilk, and a dollop of local strawberry jam, and sat on the back porch looking at the clouds and the chaotic thicket of untamed greenery behind my house and petting the cats. For a little while one of the clouds looked just like a luminous lion sitting on top of a mountain looking down at me. Mostly approvingly.

This really reminds me of my reaction to finding a grind loop in Cultist Simulator of repeatedly making art and selling it. Playing video games whose fantasy is a heightened and exaggerated version of one’s daily life is a weird sensation.